Barfield's 11th inning homer lifts RockHounds past Naturals, 7-6

Jordan Mason | Sports Writer

Published 6:43 pm, Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Photo: Tim Fischer

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Midland Rockhounds' Conner Crumbliss is out at second but takes out the legs of NW Arkansas' Christian Colon's legs so he can't turn a double play Wednesday evening at CitiBank Ballpark. Photo by Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram less

Midland Rockhounds' Conner Crumbliss is out at second but takes out the legs of NW Arkansas' Christian Colon's legs so he can't turn a double play Wednesday evening at CitiBank Ballpark. Photo by Tim ... more

Photo: Tim Fischer

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RockHounds' Dusty Coleman looks for the throw from the outfield to put the tag on NW Arkansas' Yem Prades as he tries for a double Wednesday evening at CitiBank Ballpark. Photo by Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram less

RockHounds' Dusty Coleman looks for the throw from the outfield to put the tag on NW Arkansas' Yem Prades as he tries for a double Wednesday evening at CitiBank Ballpark. Photo by Tim Fischer/Midland ... more

Photo: Tim Fischer

Barfield's 11th inning homer lifts RockHounds past Naturals, 7-6

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With the Midland RockHounds and Northwest Arkansas Naturals tied at 6 to start the bottom of the ninth, Jeremy Barfield stepped to the plate and took a huge cut at the first pitch from pitcher Buddy Baumann.

Barfield later admitted he was trying to end the game -- his teammates had plans.

“My teammates were trying to go see Men in Black (3) at 10:30,” Barfield said. “So, we went to extras, and I told them in the top of the inning, ‘If I get up, I’m ending it.’”

Two pitches after his whiff, Barfield did just that, blasting a 1-1 pitch off Baumann to left to win it for Midland by a score of 7-6 in 11 innings.

The solo shot was Barfield’s first hit of the day, after starting the game 0-for-3 with two walks and a sacrifice fly.

“I needed to get a hit -- I’m not trying to wear an 0-for,” Barfield said. “I knew we were going to win, but I was trying to win it myself.”

Barfield’s heroics capped an exhilarating game in which Midland landed the first blow, going up 1-0 in the first on an RBI single by Michael Spina. The RockHounds held that slim lead until Northwest Arkansas came alive for the first time in the top of the third.

After a groundout by Ryan Jenkins, Yem Prades ripped a double, then Christian Colon knocked him in on a single into left to tie it at 1.

The next batter, Eric Duncan, launched Dan Straily’s first pitch to deep left center for a two-run home run and a 3-1 lead.

Yet it didn’t take long for the RockHounds to respond in the bottom of the frame, as Michael Choice smashed a leadoff home run off Justin Marks to cut the lead to 3-2.

Michael Spina then slapped a double to left, and two batters later, crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Barfield, which knotted the game up at 3.

That score held for an inning before the Naturals came alive again in the top of the fifth, and once again it was Duncan leading the charge.

After Prades’ third base hit of the game, Duncan stepped to the plate two batters later and laced one into the gap in right center for an RBI triple that allowed his team to regain the advantage.

The next batter, Marion Lisson, then slapped an RBI single to left to push the lead to 5-3.

Yet in the sixth, Spina changed that with one swing of the bat, ripping a two-run double to right, tying the game on his second double of the night.

Wednesday was a strong day for anyone named Michael wearing a RockHound uniform as Choice went 4-for-5 with a home run and Spina started 3-for-4 with the two doubles.

“It’s good to see those guys, they’ve been in the middle of the lineup all year long, and had some good days and bad days, and (it’s) good to see that they’re getting some things going,” Midland Manager Steve Scarsone said.

The score remained knotted at five until the top of the eighth, when Lisson reached on a leadoff single then advanced to third on a throwing error by Ryan Ortiz. The error came back to haunt the RockHounds when Paulo Orlando lifted a sacrifice fly to right, giving Northwest Arkansas a 6-5 lead.

Yet a self-inflicted wound by the Naturals allowed Midland to tie the game in the bottom of the frame, when Leonardo Gil scored on a wild pitch by Patrick Keating.

RockHounds’ reliever Jonathan Ortiz entered in the ninth and retired the side in order, setting the stage for ninth inning heroics by the RockHounds, but they went down in order as well.

Yet Ortiz and Paul Smyth, who picked up the win Wednesday, held Northwest Arkansas to one hit over the last three innings, never giving the Naturals a chance to win it.

“That’s what you hope for,” Scarsone said. “And that’s what these guys can do, so good timing.”

The timely pitching set the stage for Barfield, who ended it with his first game-winning home run, his sixth blast of the season.

Scarsone said he had no idea that Barfield was trying to end it to help out his teammates. He just had a small recommendation for the next time the RockHounds had postgame plans.

“They need to have plans earlier,” Scarsone said smiling, “so they do that in nine innings.”

Jordan Mason can be reached at jmason@mrt.com.

’HOUND BITES: Right fielder Jeremy Barfield put his strong arm to use on a pair of nice plays Wednesday. The first came on a bloop single by Naturals center fielder Yem Prades in the first, which Prades tried to stretch into a double only for Barfield to gun him down on the move. Then in the sixth, Barfield chased down a Ryan Jenkins fly ball, turned and rifled a throw to first to get Nick Van Stratten out on a 9-3 double play. … Midland played its first extra-innings game of the season Monday then played its second in its next game Wednesday. The RockHounds are now 2-0 in extra-inning games, winning 2-1 Monday and 7-6 Wednesday. … Midland (27-24) remains four games back of Texas League South-leading Frisco, after the RoughRiders defeated the Texas League North-leading Tulsa Drillers Wednesday.

TODAY’S PROBABLES: Shawn Haviland (2-4, 5.79) is expected to get the nod tonight for Midland while Northwest Arkansas is expected to hand the ball to Elisaul Pimentel (2-2, 6.83).